The holiday season means you can really push the boat out when it comes to your makeup looks – night and day. We love a glossy, fresh approach for festive occasions, one that is as flattering as it is long-lasting.

Here are a few of our top tips for putting your best face forward, with suggestions from the Clean Beauty Collective cupboard that we love to call on for weddings, barbecues, festivals and more.

Do your prep

Makeup that looks radiant and stays that way for as long as you need it too requires a little prep, and that starts with ensuring your skin is buffed to perfection. Go gentle but effective by reaching for Nuori Supreme Polishing Treatment, which effectively removes impurities, gently sloughs away dead skin cells, and infuses skin with highly nourishing ingredients. Then mist on a hydrating toner like evre Wake Me Up Watermelon & Rose Face Mist.

Up the dew factor by using a serum to suit your skin type, like Trilogy’s Microbiome Complexion Renew Serum, which works with your skin’s natural microbiome to promote a healthier, smoother, and more youthful complexion, before letting it settle in a little and applying your choice of hydration. Tailor Skincare Moisture is a brilliant all-rounder and delivers what the brand calls a “just finished yoga glow” in a bottle. While Trilogy Line Smoothing Day Cream is perfect for more mature skins looking for elevated hydration and more.

And then prime

Using a primer is a non-negotiable for a great makeup look for so many reasons. We love Aleph Beauty’s Serum / Primer for a well-primed base, every time. An effective multi-tasker, with a highly concentrated formula that delivers its potent active ingredients to deeper levels of the skin than a cream or a lotion. Aleph Serum/Primer nourishes, protects, repairs and prepares your skin all at once.

Then you’re ready for the main event!

For a truly glossy makeup look, opt for a hydrating foundation formula like Aleph’s Concealer / Foundation, and leave the powder alone. You can carry a powder with you to quash any overly oily areas if it’s a humid day, or just gently blot your T-zone with a tissue or blotting paper and let your natural glow well, glow!

Turn on your skin’s high beams with a creamy highlighter like Aleph’s Radiance: Moon dotted on the high points of your face,  then opt for a wash of Aleph’s new Hybrid Eye Pigment Atmos for the perfect pop of shimmer. A true hybrid product that offers consistency between a powder, a creme, and an eye pencil, you can use it your way to create a myriad of looks. Add lashings of lashes with the brand’s Lift + Lengthen Mascara if you like to bring the drama, with Aleph’s Mascara Fan Brush a great tool to have on hand for a truly professional approach.

Last up, lips. If you like to go bold may we suggest a slick of Aleph’s Sangha or Ethique’s Hibiscus. Or for a gorgeous nude that just won’t quit? Ethique’s Snapdragon or Aleph’s Grounded are best sellers with good reason. And for a seamless application, prep first with Henné Organics Lip Exfoliator – your smackers will thank you for it!